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About Katie C.

My celiac-diagnosed daughter got very sick because of the "gluten free" Utz honey BBQ chips, too. This is sad for me, as I grew up eating Utz chips in Baltimore and was so excited to see them in my grocery story here in Atlanta.

My 13 year old middle school daughter was diagnosed 4 months ago after missing 4 months of school for debilitating stomach problems (which turned out to be celiac). Her friends eat her gluten-free (gluten free) food when they come here and when she goes to their house and takes food with her, and they love it. Best cure for feeling like an oddball.

Terrible reflux &heartburn were just some of the symptoms my daughter had before her diagnosis of celiac. Her gastro put her on omeprizole for many months to heal her esophagus. It was very helpful, even though she ate strictly gluten free. Her body needed protection and time to heal.

Our chiropractor gave us Gluten Flam for our 13 y/o daughter when she was diagnosed with celiac. She said it would help with minor accidental exposure to gluten and it would help heal the damage previously done. After she finished the first bottle, we forgot to get more. My daughter had a couple of bad weeks despite being extremely careful to have no gluten. I bought another bottle and within 4 days of taking it again, she was doing great. I am amazed how much it helps her.

According to the Hershey website today (June 2012), they list the Hershey's milk chocolate bars only in the 1.55 oz. size as being safe. What about the mini ones I used for s'mores last night? Now my daughter is very sick. I checked the ingredients list last night, and additionally knew that Hershey Bars were safe. Well, it appears they are aware of cross contamination on all other bars not 1.55 oz. size. How frustrating! Below is pasted the gluten-free list from their website - the part about the Hershey Milk Chocolate Bars. There are many other bars listed as safe.
"HERSHEY'S Milk Chocolate Bar
HERSHEY'S
Milk Chocolate Bar (1.55oz only)
HERSHEY'S
Milk Chocolate with Almonds Bar (1.45oz only)"

My doctor was surprised that the biopsies showed my daughter had celiac disease because she was severely constipated and nauseous, which are not the classic celiac symptoms. She also had many classic symptoms, but her blood test came back negative. It took 4 months before he would do an endoscopy which finally diagnosed her. So happy you have an answer. Best of luck to you and Adrienne!

My daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease recently. Have you thought of less obvious places for gluten? Some are lip balm (chapstick), toothpaste, medicine (check with pharmacist), playdough, art supplies, (if she puts her finger in her mouth after touching something with gluten, she could contaminate herself), chicken (KFC and off-brand raw chicken were hidden sources that made my daughter very sick - stick only with name brands like Tyson, etc.). We found an ice cream that had no gluten ingredients but it made her very sick; must have been cross-contaminated during processing. Starbucks (and many other establishments) may cross-contaminate by not thoroughly washing blenders or other items before making your order. Try to stick with things labeled gluten-free until you get her gluten levels down. Best of luck. It is so hard when it's your child who is affected instead of yourself.

The blood test for gluten is just a screening, it's not definitive. The only way to know for sure is to have an endoscopy and get several biopsies and have them tested. My daughter's blood test was negative for celiac but the biopsies were positive. Check with a gastroenterologist. Good luck.

Be careful about chicken, as some manufacturers inject things into the chicken that contain gluten. Best to stick with name brands like Tyson, etc. Also, there are wonderful Gluten free pastas, bread & crackers available in your regular grocery store. Oats themselves aren't gluten products, but are usually cross-contaminated with gluten, which is why you want to avoid oats unless the package says "Gluten Free". Betty Crocker has delicious gluten-free cookie, brownie, and cake mixes. My daughter loves her gluten-free diet; it's just the hidden gluten we encounter that makes her crazy (and very sick).

The blood test is just a screening and is not a definite answer. There are many false negatives. The endoscopy biopsies are the only true way to tell, according to my daughter's gastro specialist. Her blood test was negative, but the biopsies were positive. Being the only gluten-free eater in the house is not a big deal, really. There are many gluten-free meals that taste wonderful; my family likes many of them better than the traditional version. Also, you can make gluten-free pasta for yourself and serve regular to your family, etc. It really just sounds worse than it actually is. If you are celiac or just gluten sensitive, the extra effort will be totally worth it! Good luck.

By the way, forgot to mention my daughter's symptoms were: severe pain, "volcano" stomach (rumbling and over-active), bad gas and bloating not helped by Gas-X, terrible constipation, sudden loud & painful burps, and intense nausea. Some of her symptoms are not "classic", so I think that threw the gastro specialist off. But you never know until the biopsies come back. The gastro was surprised.

My daughter's blood test was negative for celiac, and so she suffered for a few more months before they did the endoscopy and colonoscopy and took biopsies. I found out later that the blood test is only a screening, and is not definitive. Her biopsies came back positive for celiac disease and she has been gluten free since. It has been surprisingly easy for her to eat gluten free. However, we have run across hidden gluten, so learn all you can in order to avoid as much hidden gluten as possible. Good luck! Looking forward to hearing your biopsy results.

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Celiac.com was founded in 1995 by Scott Adams, author of Cereal Killers, founder and publisher of Journal of Gluten Sensitivity, and founder of The Gluten-Free Mall, who had a single goal for the site: To help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed and living a happy, healthy gluten-free life!